This is a great resource for parents and teachers wishing to introduce geometry concepts and shapes. In Mouse Shapes, three little mice run from a cat, they find a cluster of brightly colored squares, triangles, rectangles, circles, ovals, and diamonds where they hide until he leaves. Soon they are moving the shapes about to create pictures: a house, a wagon, and even a cat. After the real cat pounces, they hatch a clever plan to scare him away.

Extend the lesson and the fun by providing cut out paper or foam shapes in different colors for children to play with after the story ends.

Extensions:

Shape Scavenger Hunt: Take a walk with children inside or outside and have a shape scavenger hunt. Have children see how many things they can find that are a particular shape, such as a circle (plates, clocks, coins, lids, pots and pans, etc.). Or keep a tally and see which shape children spot the most often.

Shape Books: Have children look for pictures in magazines that are particular shapes, such as a circle, a square, a triangle, etc. Have them cut out the pictures and glue them onto a page with that shape drawn on it. After children have found and glued all the shapes, bind them together into “__________’s Shape Book.”

Use shapes to make patterns on paper or in pocket charts. Children practice the names of the shapes by reading the pattern (circle, triangle, circle, and triangle).

Shape Match

Draw or trace matching shapes onto index cards. Have children find the matches. To make the game more difficult, you may vary the color or size of the shapes. So you have a pair of red circles and a pair of blue circles and so on.

Shape Match

Have children hide their eyes while you "hide" a shape in the room. (It should be placed in plain view.) Tell children to find the shape but not to touch it. Once they have spotted the shape, have them sit back down in their spot. The first one to sit down again and is able to name the shape will get to hide the shape next.

Shape Sequencing

Cut out three to five different sized circles (or whatever shaped you would like to use) Set them on a table and ask your child to arrange the shapes according to size. For younger children, you can just start with two shapes and ask which is the smallest.

Shape Fishing Game

Tie three feet of string to a wooden spoon. Attach a magnet to the end of the string. Cut and laminate many different-colored-and-sized shapes from construction paper (not too big though). Attach a paper clip to each shape. Spread the shapes on the floor and let children try to catch the shapes. Have them try to catch the red shape, or the biggest shape, or the circle. For a twist, label the shapes with letters or numbers. Ask children to catch various shapes such as a circle with the letter “A” or a blue shape with the number “5.”